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Windows 10 release date: new Microsoft operating system to arrive in July

Free upgrade will be shipped to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users on July 29

Microsoft will release Windows 10, a huge upgrade to its operating system, on July 29.

The upgrade will be offered free to users running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. The free offer will be available for the first year after it is released.

For users on older versions of Windows, Microsoft hasn't yet said exactly how upgrades will work. It's thought that those on Windows XP and Vista will have to buy new versions of the operating system, as will those building their own computers.

Microsoft announced the new operating system late last year, before unveiling new features in January. But it had previously stayed quiet on when exactly it would come out, only teasing "later this year".

The new Windows brings back the Start bar, as well as a range of other features. It is widely seen as an attempt to recover some of the damage done by Windows 8, which was largely criticised by users.

It also marks the beginning of "Windows as a service" — the idea that the operating system is not just one product but a continually updated one that works across devices. Microsoft said in its announcement that "once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, Microsoft will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device — at no cost".

Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 for free apparently to reduce "fragmentation", the challenges for developers who at the moment must make software to work on a variety of operating systems. It also brings it in line with competitors like Apple, which has given away the most recent versions of its own desktop operating system.

The company said that those "who want to be among the first in line for the free Windows 10 upgrade can reserve a free copy in the coming weeks". To do so, an icon will come up in the system tray at the bottom right hand corner of the screen — clicking on it will bring up the reservation process.

Cannot be from virus corruption on a brandnew install on a perfect HDD. Most experts refer these problems to the internet connection. Many are just clueless. Sometimes it is just the time setting in the PC, often an exhausted battery of the CMOS. Your diagnosis I haven't read anywhere before.

I did run the Windows Update Troubleshooter. On the NB it said to have fixed the problem, but it just shows another error number now: 802440B. On the PC it could not fix the problem. Guess it's my charming TOT internet, that keeps resetting every few seconds or even stopping to function.

Microsoft announced today that it will be launching Windows 10 on July 29th, encouraging Windows 7 and 8.1 users to reserve their free upgrade with a notification in their task bar. However, while the company has been busy highlighting all the shiny new features in the upcoming OS, it's been a bit quieter when it comes to spelling out the limitations — including making updates automatic for Windows 10 Home users.

Firstly there are the software losses. Most of these will only affect a small number of users, but upgrading will mean saying goodbye to Windows Media Center, the card game Hearts, and Windows 7's desktop gadgets. Anyone in the habit of using floppy disks on Windows will also have to install new drivers, and Microsoft warns that watching DVDs will also require "separate playback software." Microsoft manager Gabriel Aul has said on Twitter that a DVD option for Windows 10 is coming "later this year," but early upgraders can always download VLC instead.

In addition to the software losses, there are also a number of limitations for some of Windows 10's most exciting features. Cortana will only be available in the US, UK, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain at launch, while Windows Hello (which offers support for various biometric passwords) will need an infrared camera for facial recognition, or a supported fingerprint reader. The Xbox Music and Xbox Video streaming apps will also be constrained by the usual, complex web of region-based licenses.

More annoyingly, perhaps, Microsoft has also changed how updates will work with Windows 10. Although the Pro and Enterprise editions will both be able to defer updates, Windows 10 Home users will not have the option. Updates will instead be downloaded and installed automatically as soon as they're available. System requirements for the new OS have also been detailed, with PCs and tablets needing to pass a fairly low bar: a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a display resolution of at least 1,024 x 600 are required. These specs are a bit higher for the 64-bit version of Windows 10 but for these details and more, you can check out Microsoft's full specs page.